Love These Organic Teething Necklaces!

I wish I had discovered these fashionable teething necklaces four kids ago (did they even have them then?) Regardless, these teething necklaces are completely awesome. For one, they're designed to be worn by the Mom and they are cute and fashionable.

But, they also tag team as a teething toy for baby!

Made with organic cotton overlaid on unfinished, natural wooden beads, these teething necklaces are pure genius.

I love that I can wear this necklace and not worry about it breaking while my baby is pulling on it. It hasn't broken or come untied while he's doing so and I wear it nearly every day.

It quietly keeps him occupied while he's on my lap as he fingers the beads and chews on them. This necklace is absolutely perfect for a Momma with a baby who is old enough to grab at things regardless of whether or not the baby is teething.

Another reason I love my adjustable necklace is because when I nurse the Chunky Monkey, it gives him something to hang onto instead of pulling at my hair.

Sometimes I like to dress up an outfit with a necklace, but these days, my little guy loves to pull at them and I don't want them to break. With my teething necklace from Teething Couture I have fashion and practicality all in one necklace.


About Kayla

As a stay at home mom of two, Kayla makes these wonderful teething items in her home to help supplement her family's income. Each necklace is made in a smoke and pet free environment and is crafted with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton fabric and natural, unfinished wooden beads.

Kayla has several patterns to choose from as well as a few additional styles. She is the mompreneur behind Teething Couture. You can find all or products in her etsy shop, where she sells teething necklaces, as well as teething scarves. She welcomes custom orders, special requests and gift wrapping. You can also find her at www.facebook.com/teethingcouture if you have any questions.

Kayla has done a wonderful job on her workmanship and each necklace arrives packaged beautifully.

All of my readers who place an order from her etsy shop will receive free shipping when they enter "1 PURPOSE" at checkout! (Thanks Kayla for the sweet deal!)

 

 

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. I'd love for you to stay connected through the following social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

 

Purposeful Homemaking received one or more products mentioned in this post at no cost in order to conduct a thorough and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.

The Bird and Elephant {Natural Teething Rings Review}

Most of you know we have a new baby around the house, but just in case you hadn't heard, here are a few of my favorite pictures of our gift from God. Oh my, he has totally stolen my heart (and my sleep, but that's another story!)

 

 

 

 

So, this little guy is just shy of 5 months but has already had two teeth pop through! I knew the day was coming so I got ready ahead of time and found the cutest little natural teething ring from The Bird and Elephant, a home-based business in Virginia.

 

I love it when a package arrives with fun details added to it!

 

The "bunny ears" part of the teething ring is made from 100% certified organic cotton fabric and an organic, unbleached bamboo terry cloth. The ring is natural maple hardwood and does not have any chemicals or treatments added. It is sealed with certified organic natural beeswax that is NOT imported to prevent the wood from splintering. (You can learn more about the importance of purchasing your honey and honey products stateside here.)

Photo Credit

 

How it Worked for Us

 

First, I have to say that I think this teething toy is uber adorable. I love the simplicity of it and I love that it's quiet. Our baby loves to gum on his and chomp those two razor sharp teeth into the ring. This ring is very durable as I have not noticed any marks in spite of him gnawing away on it like he hasn't eaten in days (which you can tell from the pictures above that he is more than well fed!)

 

He does also enjoy chewing on the material and simply holding it in his hands although for the life of me I can't get it to stay on the ring. Oh well, something for each hand, right?

 

While I do still have some plastic teething rings around here from babies gone by, I am glad that this one isn't plastic and that I don't have to worry about him scraping the paint off with his teeth and ingesting it. This is definitely my go-to for teething right now.

 

 

 

This one's a winner with us! Want one too? Check out all of the adorable fabric patterns from The Bird and Elephant. Trust me, you're going to have a hard time choosing just one! :)

 

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

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Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have the following sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Interested in adding your name to the list? Check out my advertising policies.

• Halifax ISA-Individual Savings Accounts
• Jenuinely Pure-organic and natural skin care 
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Mary & Martha-Meaningful Entertaining...Made Simple
• doTerra-certified pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils

Purposeful Homemaking received one or more products mentioned in this post at no cost in order to conduct a thorough and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.
Disclaimer: And Then There Were More, Mommy's Favorite Things and the Merry Fluffy Christmas Bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that fail to fulfill their prizes."

How to Make Your Own Baby Wipes with Essential Oils

Making our own baby wipes is easy and cost effective. Plus, by making your own, you know exactly what ingredients are going into them in case you have a baby with sensitive skin. Thankfully that is not the case with Baby #4. However, I do like to make our own wipes mostly because they're easier on the budget than store bought wipes.

I like to add Lavender essential oil to our wipes for several reasons. It makes them smell good, it has a calming affect on both mom and baby and Lavender is antifungal among other things.

What to Do:

To make your own baby wipes, you will need to cut a roll of paper towel in half and then remove the cardboard tube. I use a plastic Sterilite container to keep ours in and while it will hold a whole role of paper towel I have found that the center of the rolls start to go moldy before I can use them all up. So, I stick to making only a half a roll at a time.

You will need:

2 c. water
2 T. baby shampoo
2 T. baby lotion
5 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Boil 2 c. water. Pour into your wipes container. Add baby lotion, shampoo and essential oil. Whisk together. Add paper towel roll. Roll around to absorb water. Done and easy and smells great too!

If your baby is struggling with a diaper rash, the Lavender should help, but you can also add a few drops of Melaluca to some fractionated coconut oil and apply. Myrrh is also a great oil to have on hand and can be added to the above mixture as well. Myrrh acts as a liquid Band-Aid and helps get rid of fungal infections in addition to helping chapped, cracked and inflamed skin.

So, that's how we make our baby wipes!

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  This post may involve product that was received in exchange for a review or contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.

Anna Naturals: Nursing Mama Tea {Review and Discount Code}

I've done a few reviews in the past for Drink Mamatea but they recently rebranded to Anna Naturals to expand their product line to include not only some new teas (one for energy and one to help with sleep), but also prenatal vitamin drink mixes (no more horse pills!), and some all natural bar soaps, hand washes and lotions. They'll still have their teas for preconception, pregnancy (including morning sickness), postpartum and nursing. All of Anna Naturals teas are hand-blended and made only from certified organic and all natural herbs. Every "ingredient comes from a source that does not irradiate any products and uses strict testing procedures to ensure that no product is altered in any way."

But let me tell you about the Nursing Mamatea.  It is the perfect blend of fenugreek seed (a definite milk supply booster!), rooibos (a caffeine free tea) and fruit to create a fenugreek tea that is not only beneficial for breastfeeding mamas, but also tastes and smells great.

"Fenugreek works because it stimulates sweat glands, and the milk ducts actually operate and function the same as sweat glands - thus fenugreek helps increase milk production. Most women will experience results within 24-72 hours of starting to drink New Mama fenugreek tea." And yes, I did! I couldn't believe how fast this tea worked. I have to be careful not to drink too much of it because I have never struggled with insufficient milk supply. I think I like the taste of this one the best though overall!

 

Nursing Mamatea is made in the USA and can be purchased either loose leaf or in a bag. If you purchase the loose leaf tea, you will receive one tin which contains 2 ounces of loose leaf tea and a 2" steeping ball. One tin will make about 30 cups of tea. Purposeful Homemaking readers can use the code 15offpurposeful to receive 15% off their purchase. This coupon code is valid until October 21, 2013.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

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Current Sponsors

 

Halifax ISA-Individual Savings Accounts
Jenuinely Pure-organic and natural skin care 

Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
Mary & Martha-Meaningful Entertaining...Made Simple
doTerra-certified pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils

Purposeful Homemaking received one or more products mentioned in this post at no cost in order to conduct a thorough and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking. This post was written completely from my research, but I was paid to write on the actual topic.

Every Birth is Beautiful Month

I'm blessed to have joined up with some other Christian mom bloggers and one, or should I say, a couple of them, are Penny Lane and Mustang Sally from Sisters Raising Sisters. During the month of September, they are running a series called Every Birth is Beautiful. It's always fun to read other Moms' stories of how God brought their family together whether through birth or adoption (well, that involves birth too, but you know what I mean.) :) (Truth be told, I think the adoption stories are always my favorite!)

 

But today, they are featuring our very own Caden's birth story. So if you haven't heard it yet, now's your chance. :) Click on the "Every Birth is Beautiful" button below to stop by their blog.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

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Current Sponsors

Halifax ISA-Individual Savings Accounts

Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age

doTerra-certified pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils

The Busy Mom's Guide to (Almost) Not Excercising

Let's face it. I don't have a lot of free time these days and if I do get some time to myself, I'm probably not going to use it to exercise. Unless of course it involves going for a walk. With my family. Oops, that's still not time to myself, but I love taking walks with them so who cares!

And yet, in the midst of my busy schedule, I know how important it is to exercise. It's just not my favorite thing to do. But if I want to stay healthy and stick around, Lord-willing, for a long time, I'd better figure out some ways to get a little exercising in here and there.

I think exercising can seem overwhelming as are a lot of new goals in life.

Usually we think we have to set aside a big block of time to get it done, but not all of us have big blocks of time. So, we make use of what we do have. (Every minute is the same whether it's a couple at a time or 30 at once.)

So let me share with you how I get a little workout in here and there. Don't laugh! With the exception of my daily sit ups...that sounds impressive doesn't it? "Daily Sit Ups". Well, don't be impressed. I'm only on day 5 and this is what I'm doing. Day 1: 1 Sit up. Phew, that was easy! Day 2: 2 Sit ups. Hey, I can still handle that! Day 3: 3 Sit Ups and so on. When I get to day 365, well, I'll either have given up or have abs of steel. We'll see.) :)

Anyways, the only time I "work out" is while I am brushing my teeth or blow drying my hair. All together that's probably about 15 minutes a day but I use that time to at least do something.

If you have a new baby in the house, time is precious and your body probably needs a little fine tuning.

It's not just about looking good, but it's also about feeling good. After all these big babies, my abs just aren't what they used to be and I pay for it in back pain. If I can strengthen those abs then I'm hoping it will lessen the back pain.

So, here are some things that you can do (whether you've just had a baby or not!) while you're getting ready in the morning.

 

#1 March in Place

 

 

 

#2 Deep Knee Bends

 

 

 

#3 Sidekicks  

 

#4 Squats

You get the idea. And remember, the point is to just do something. Moving is great for your body. You will honestly be surprised at the results that you find!

And who knows, with all this working out you're "not doing" you might even work up a sweat. Oh wait, that might just be the heat from the hairdryer. :)

Needing some help working out? (Don't we all...)

Then you'll want to snag this great deal on a free 2 month membership to Fit2B. It's a great online workout program that really helps with those trouble spots after having a baby.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. I'd love for you to stay connected through the following social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Drink Mama Tea: New Mama Tea {Review and Discount Code}

I am a huge tea drinker. I drink it nearly every day. There is something about it that helps me relax even in the midst of the craziness of motherhood. Now, I can't guarantee that it's always going to be hot when I get around to drinking it, but still, it's something I enjoy.

But, if you're a new mama, then you might like to try the New Mama Tea from Drink Mama Tea. This tea is hand blended with Lady's Mantel to help with after labor and delivery. I made sure to drink all of mine and I loved the flavor of it with some raw honey mixed in.

This tea helps with healing after birth, in part, because of the lady's mantle, which has amazing healing properties. Lady's Mantle has long been known for its aid in healing damaged tissues. It may also help with perforated eardrums, hernias, and varicosities. The benefits of lady's mantle after birth can be excellent considering it will help with healing and toning damaged tissues. 

New Mama postpartum tea also contains alfalfa which is very rich in Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps aid in blood clotting which may reduce your chance of postpartum hemorrhage. Nettles are also high in Vitamin K, as well as calcium, which can help with postpartum depression, muscle aches in the abdomen and legs. It's a good idea to increase your calcium intake after pregnancy and especially if you're nursing.
This tea also contains dandelion, strawberries, cherries and cranberries in addition to the above mentioned ingredients.

New Mama tea is made in the USA and can be purchased either loose leaf or in a bag. With each purchase you will receive one tin which contains 2 ounces of loose leaf tea and comes with a 2" steeping ball. One tin will make about 30 cups of tea. Purposeful Homemaking readers can use the code purposeful13 to receive 15% off their purchase.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

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Current Sponsors

 

Halifax ISA-Individual Savings Accounts

Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age

doTerra-certified pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils

 

Purposeful Homemaking received one or more products mentioned in this post at no cost in order to conduct a thorough and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking. This post was written completely from my research, but I was paid to write on the actual topic.